Monday, December 30, 2013

Somali troops with the support of the Ethiopian army have seized key areas in Bay, government officials in southern Somalia announced yesterday, after months of operations centered on the town of Bardale.

The still ongoing campaign, described as "a cleanup operation," led to the recent capture of Iskoris, Morowarabe, and Walaq villages, according to Bardale mayor Mohamed Isaq Arro As.

Shabaab fighters escaped in the night as an overwhelming number of troops supported by tanks marched into the area without meeting any resistance.

According to AMISOM spokesman Colonel Ali Adan Humad, AMISOM and Somali troops are in final preparation for offensives against Shabaab in southern and central Somalia.

Shabaab fighters controlled much of Bay region for three years between 2009 and 2012, until Ethiopian forces pushed them out. The increased operations in the area began after Shabaab set up roadblocks on Oct. 19 in an attempt to punish regions in which it had lost control. Shabaab told locals that it "did not want any food to be taken to the people, who are living with infidels," alluding to the Somali and Ethiopian troops in the area. Earlier this month, on Dec. 13, Somali and Ethiopian troops cleared the roadblocks when hundreds of troops marched on the region, causing Shabaab militants to flee.

On Dec. 19, clashes took place in the district of Uforow, where according to eyewitnesses at least two people were killed and at least three Shabaab fighters were wounded in a firefight with government forces. No civilians are thought to have been harmed in the fighting, although Shabaab still controls the Bay region districts of Uforow and Dinsor as well as parts of Bardale.

Bardale was the location of "Ambush at Bardale," one of the most well-known videos featuring Omar Hammami, which was released by the group in March 2009 and documented Hammami and other Shabaab militants preparing for and executing an ambush on Ethiopian troops. The recruitment video also included an appeal from another English speaker to would-be jihadists to join the fight in Somalia, and was later determined to feature Somali-Americans, including Shirwa Ahmed.

Despite a military offensive led by the African Union and backed by the US that began in 2011, Shabaab still controls vast areas of southern and central Somalia. During the offensive, Shabaab was driven from major cities and towns such as Mogadishu, Kismayo, and Baidoa, but towns such as Bulobarde and Barawe remain under the terror group's control. The group has weathered the Ethiopian invasion, which began in December 2006 and ousted its predecessor, the Islamic Courts Union. More than six years later, Shabaab remains a capable force in southern Somalia and an integral part of al Qaeda's global network.

While speaking at a town hall meeting convened by Somali Anti-Piracy Information Centre (SAPIC). The SAPIC Baidoa Liaison Officer outlined that piracy is the key problem in Somali society. Saying that if piracy exist in coastal communities of Somalia, piracy activities in other forms takes place such as hostage taking and road blocks.

Sh. Miiris Mohamed, religious leader emphasized on piracy and Islam by indicating that Islam is against piracy and there are severe for committing piracy crimes. Sh. Miiris indicated that hostage taking and robbery are similar to piracy and Islam is against that. Sh. Miiris further outlined that parents have a huge responsibility to advise the youth against piracy.

Nuur Shariif, the chairman of Bay & Bakool Youth Association outlined that many youth have no jobs, and it seems that the youth have become the only tool to commit crimes, such as piracy and road blocks. “we need to educate our youth, we need to create jobs, train our youth so that they don’t join criminal gangs which create insecurity in our community”, Nuur Shariif said.

Traditional leader, Ahmed Haji Hassan indicated that all representatives of the society have a great responsibility to advocate against piracy although the key responsibility lays with parents .

Hodan Mohamed Hassan, the representative of women lastly indicated that piracy activities have effected women groups in that many young ladies have been lured to marry members of piracy, and later introduced to drugs.

“We hope that the Somali Federal Government and the regional administration jointly offer youth alternative jobs so that they stop joining criminal groups”

The meeting was attended by more than 70 participants including women, youth, religious and traditional leaders.

SAPIC is supported by United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM)

Saturday, December 28, 2013

At least seven people were killed Friday in Mogadishu and more than 10 others injured after suspected Al-Shabab militants detonated a remotely controlled landmine inside a teashop.

The blast targeted government soldiers who frequent at a tea shop in the Bangala neighbourhood of the Dayniile district, killing at least seven people and wounding ten others.
According to witnesses, most of the dead and wounded were forces loyal to the government. Among the dead were two female tea sellers who came to the shop to sell tea.
Hiirey Mohamed, Dayniile district commissioner told RFI that the scene of the explosion was ugly and he saw blood and flesh everywhere. Mr Hiirey added that among the dead was a senior military officer and several of his bodyguards.
Dayniile neighbourhood is notorious as a hotbed for Al-Shabab militants. The latest blast shatters months of relative calm in the capital Mogadishu.
Government officials blamed Al-Shabab militants for the blast, saying that such an attack is a clear sign that the group is still active despite being driven out of Mogadishu and other major Somali cities by an African Union-led peacekeeping force.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Contest or without contest, we will have a president early next month. That means the outcome is more important than the response we are getting from the contest. To a certain extent, though, we are being sold to concert tickets for the big match on January 8th. There, the players are individually going to prove their relevance for the top position—the presidency of Puntland. This contest is a winner-takes-all match, where one single man will form the next administration. Love it or hate it, the winner will have a five-year mandate to do whatever he wishes. He can sell the state to Somaliland, at will, if he wants to. This is so because, in politics, no constitutional powers force a president to love us. Therefore, it is crucial that we make a right choice as to whom we entrust with our eggs.

We are at a critical time in our history. The whole nation is in a cute transformation, and it is necessary that we lay the right foundations. And one way of doing so is to put the right man on top. At this point, the question we need to ask ourselves is this: who is the right guy for Puntland today? On paper, the answer to this question may seem simpler; but in practical politics, we need to think outside of the box. Instead of feeling tribal lenience and dependence on the unworkable, we can face the matter squarely. And in my view, this is the right time.

To begin with, Puntland politics was long dominated by qabiil. True, the founders of the state saw the use of qabiil the best choice. They wanted to kick-start the state with the help of qabiil. They had the intention to get rid of it later and set us on the right path. But we made a grave mistake later on. Qabiil became like a virus and did its toll in early 2001 when people fought for control. From that day onwards, every tribe clamed a stake in the system. We reached a point where people—even the laborers—are recruited with tribal recommendations. That is why presidential aspirants are courting tribes for support.

However, I am going to submit that tribal politics will never succeed. And here is my argument. One, the MOU under which the coming elections are to be held does not allow the common folk to vote. Simply put, the public cannot put the man of its choice on top. The Parliament, people’s representative, will do it. Therefore, making big rallies outside Garowe is wasting of time and money. It is like courting a married girl.

Two, the connection between the mass and parliamentarians is non-existence. Because typical politicians seek advantages, there was always, and will be, conflict of interests. Unlike what tribes want, their MPs will go with their interests. That is why most politicians in Garowe are cursed at best. There are those who abstain to visit their constituencies. On the Election Day, therefore, they will vote for a friend who understands their individual situations better than their tribes do. In fact, the majority of the MPs are already in the camp of President Farole. Like the tribes who always send their best man to Garowe but do not get what they want, the opposition candidates are living in great denial. Sirs, the public has no power.

Three, most people in parliament are conservatives and will not buy change. In other words, they will be less likely to vote for a new guy, everything else being equal. That is why the idea of replacing Farole with a freshman is not bankable. From the look of things, it is a no-fight game.

The real question we must ask ourselves, therefore, is this: Is President Farole the right choice for Puntland? Before we answer this question, let us run a quick study on him and see if he still can make it.

President Farole is a consistent politician. Even when he is wrong, he is consistently wrong. He is a straightforward politician who never mistakes inaction for luck. What is more, he is a warrior, determined to achieve his goals. And because lack favors the steady, the doer with the firm end in mind, he is a perfect candidate for the job.

Another quality that sets him apart is his loathing and dislike toward tribal-binding politics. He has the uttermost contempt for clan influences. That is why he distanced many clan leaders, who had been a major roadblock to any imminent progress, from politics in recent years. It is true that some of his closest cronies are smelling qabiil. But in my view, he is using them to his advantage. To eradicate qabiil from our politics therefore, vote for President Farole. One last question for the public: Is it better to be loved or feared? Niccolo Machiavelli answered it and said that it is better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both. _________________________________________________-

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

In the spirit of celebrating Christmas with families and loved ones, The Kenya Defense forces in Kismayu, Somalia have sent their Christmas messages to their families here in Kenya. The soldiers who have been leading operations under AMISOM against Al Shabab insurgents in Somali since 2011, sent their video recorded messages as they restore peace and order in Somalia.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Could Al-Shabaab carry out another Westgate-type terrorist attack in Nairobi, or stage a similar outrage in Kampala?

This was one of the questions at the back of the mind of a couple of folks at a meeting of Somali intellectuals and civil society activists held by the African Union’s Somalia mission, Amisom, in Kigali this week.

One of the reasons Kigali was chosen for the meeting was to show the Somalis that no matter how far a country descends into hell, it can rise and shine again — as Rwanda has largely managed to do. Secondly, to help imagine what genocide might look like on a Somalia scale if they don’t get their act together.

Suffice it to say that a Tuesday visit to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, and a rousing speech later by Alice Karekezi of the Centre for Conflict Management at the National University of Rwanda, left a trail of Somali tears in Kigali on the day.

Inevitably, though, while some lamented that Amisom and nearly everyone else in Somalia had become “obsessed” with Al-Shabaab, it dominated three days of debate and conversation because the uncomfortable truth, as one Somali intellectual put it, is that “Al-Shabaab or its ideology will very much be around for another 20 years”.

The Shabaab has been considerably buoyed by what it considers a spectacularly successful campaign in the attack on Westgate.

Indeed, a few days ago, London-based journalist Jamal Osman posted a revealing video following a rare visit to the group’s training camp in the bushes of Bulo Burto.

The public face of the Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Dhere, is effusive with praise for the Westgate attackers, and most ominously, promises Kenya that he will rain more fire on its head. The video also underscores why Al-Shabaab is not about to die.

To begin with, it is a more efficient group (or for that matter enforcer) and less corrupt, than the government of Somalia.

In Bulo Burto, the Shabaab police is shown on patrol. Where Shabaab rules, the streets are very safe, although the price for law and order is cutting limbs off or stoning to death criminals.

And they do something that not even governments, let alone the police in Uganda, Kenya, or Tanzania, do.

They go around shops making sure no expired goods are sold, and check out the medical supplies in clinics and hospitals to ensure they are not stolen. Elsewhere in East Africa, people in authority are the ones who sell expired goods.

Also, Al-Shabaab is the one group that organises big-time across clans, so it is probably the most nationalist platform now.

In addition, in a Somalia where in recent years many live or die by their clans, and the smaller ones have been locked out of all opportunities, the Shabaab came in and turned tables.

It gives long-marginalised clans administrative jobs, hands them business licences, thus cobbling together a new support base that is solidly in its corner.

There is the view that no international force will ever really defeat Shabaab. Only its mistakes and internal contradictions will.

Indeed Amisom estimates that while the terror group has 6,000 active soldiers, potentially, it can mobilise up to 30,000 if it needed to.

Meanwhile, the Somali National Army has nearly 20,000 troops. Amisom currently has just about 18,000. And they are trying to secure a territory that is almost the size of Afghanistan.

Not counting the international troops, Afghanistan has an army of 220,000 — but they have failed to subdue Al-Shabaab’s cousins, the Taliban.

To think that just 38,000 Somali and Amisom troops can dominate a territory the size of Afghanistan whose 220,000 better trained soldiers can’t, is a bit of a pipe-dream.

The Shabaab will, therefore, have lots of room and freedom to organise and plot.

And for sure, they will come knocking on Nairobi or Kampala’s doors again in the future. Only eternal vigilance, and angels running our governments, will save us.

But the ultimate solution lies in Somalia. Those who want to defeat Al-Shabaab, need to help the country elect a government that is more efficient and honest than the militants.

A directive released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Justice and Religious Affairs stated that no Christian festivities could be held in Somalia.

The Director General of the ministry, Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow Aden, and the Director of the Religious Matters, Sheikh Ali Sheikh Mohamud alias Sheikh Ali Dhere, held a press conference in the capital Mogadishu, to make the announcement.

The ban came just hours before Christmas Day, when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, their spiritual saviour.

“We alert fellow Muslims in Somalia that some festivities to mark Christian Days will take place around the world in this week,” said Sheikh Ali Dhere during the press conference, adding: “It is prohibited to celebrate those days in this country.”

Mr Aden, on his part, stated that all security and law enforcement agencies had been instructed to counter any such celebrations.

He added that copies of the directive were delivered to hotels and other meeting places in Mogadishu.

The officials did not say anything on whether non-Muslim foreign workers or residents could celebrate or not.

It is the first time that a Somali government bans the celebrations since the last central government collapsed in 1991.

United States Special Representative for Somalia, James P. McAnulty has welcomed the appointment
of Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed as the new Prime Minister of Somalia.

The envoy has also commended Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for his swift selection of the prime minister in order to avoid leadership vacuum in the country.

McAnulty said that the government of the United States is looking forward to the selection of a new cabinet and its presentation to the parliament for review and endorsement in accordance with the country’s constitution.

He further reaffirmed that the United States will continue to support the government and the people of Somalia as they seek to stabilize their country.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud appointed Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed as Somalia’s next prime minister two weeks ago.

Ahmed received unanimous endorsement from Somali legislators on Saturday.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Mogadishu (TF.SF) The Federal Parliament of Somalia has on Saturday endorsed the nomination of the new Prime Minister of the country appointed by the President of state a week ago, Terror Free Somalia reports.

The parliament’s Saturday session was attended by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the new Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed and lawmakers who listened to the president’s appeal to the parliament to confirm the new Prime Minister.

239 MPs voted in favor for the new Prime Minister out of 243 lawmakers who gathered today at the session. Two MPs voted against the new Prime Minister while two others abstained.

The Speaker of the Federal Parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari has announced the result of today’s parliament voting.

The new Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has promised to bring stability into the troubled nation and will continue to eliminate terrorists and armed gangs threatening the peace of the country.

He said that upon receiving the parliament’;s vote of confidence that he will soon form a new cabinet and will bring before the parliament.

Mr Sheikh Ahmed, who is the second Prime Minister of Somalia since last year will take office in this week replacing the former Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon who was sacked by the parliament in a vote of no confidence following row with the president.

Quite often when I am doing speaking engagements, client briefings or press interviews, I am asked questions like: “Given the events in Syria and Libya, is the jihadist movement stronger than ever?” It is a good question, but it is also one that is not easily answered in a five-second sound bite or a succinct quote for print media -- it really requires some detailed explanation. Because of this, I’ve decided to take some time to provide a more thorough treatment of the subject in written form for Stratfor readers. As I thought through the various aspects of the topic, I came to believe that adequately covering it requires more than one Security Weekly, so I will dedicate a series of articles to it.

When gauging the current state of the jihadist movement, I believe it is useful to use two different standards. The first is to take jihadists' goals and objectives and measure their progress toward achieving them. The second is to take a look at insurgent theory and terrorism models to see what they can tell us about the state of jihadist militant networks and their efforts. This week we will discuss the first standard: the jihadists’ goals and objectives. Next week we will discuss insurgency and terrorism theories, and then once we have established these two benchmarks we can use them to see how the various elements of the jihadist movement measure up.

Jihadist Goals and Objectives

There is a widely held narrative that jihadists are merely crazy people who employ violence for the sake of violence. This is clearly false. While there are unquestionably some psychotic and sociopathic personalities within the movement, taken as a whole, jihadists' use of violence -- both terrorism and insurgency -- is quite rational.

It is also worth remembering that terrorism is not associated with just one group of people; it is a tactic that has been employed by a wide array of actors. There is no single creed, ethnicity, political persuasion or nationality with a monopoly on terrorism. Jihadists employ terrorism as they do insurgency -- as one of many tools they can use to achieve their objectives.

Arguably, the objectives the jihadists are pursuing through the employment of violence are delusional. Although we can question whether or not they will be able to achieve them through violent means, we simply cannot dispute that they are employing violence intentionally and in a rational manner with a view to achieving their stated goals. With that in mind, we will take a deeper look at those objectives.

It is very important to understand that jihadists are theologically motivated. In fact, in their ideology there is no real distinction between religion, politics and culture. They believe that it is their religious duty to propagate their own strain of Islam along with the government, legal system and cultural norms that go with it. They also believe that in order to properly spread their strain of Islam they must strictly follow the example of the Prophet Mohammed and his early believers. While all Muslims believe they must follow the Quran and the Sunnah, the jihadists allow very little space for extra-religious ideas and severely limit the use of reason to interpret the divine texts.

Historically, after leaving Mecca, Mohammed moved to Medina, where he established the world’s first Islamic polity. He and his followers then launched military operations to raid the caravans of their opponents. Mohammed’s army eventually conquered Mecca and a large portion of the Arabian Peninsula before the Prophet’s death. Within a century of Mohammed’s passing, his followers had forged a vast empire that crossed North Africa and most of Spain to the west, reaching to the borders of China and India in the east. Just as Mohammed and his followers had conquered much of the known world, the jihadists seek to reconquer this empire and then expand it to encompass the earth.

The jihadists’ plan is to first establish a state called an emirate that they can rule under jihadist principles, and then use that state as a launching pad for further conquests, creating a larger empire they refer to as the caliphate. Many jihadist ideologues believe that the caliphate should be a transnational entity that includes all Muslim lands, stretching from Spain (Al-Andalus) in the west to the Philippines in the east. The caliphate would then be extended globally, bringing the entire world into submission.

Now, that said, it is important to remember that the jihadist movement is not monolithic and that there are varying degrees of ideological difference -- including goals and objectives -- between some of the various actors and groups. For example, some jihadists are far more nationalistic in philosophy and less transnational. They are focused on the overthrow of the regime in their country and the establishment of an emirate under Shariah. They are not concerned about using that emirate as a launching pad for the re-establishment of a wider caliphate. This nationalist vs. transnationalist tension was readily apparent in Somalia between the various factions of al Shabaab. Some jihadists also believe that there cannot be one global caliphate due to differences among Muslims, and instead seek to establish a series of smaller states that would span the same territory.

Jihadist ideologues and leaders have openly stated these intentions, but they are not just rhetorical goals for public consumption. A review of the private writings of jihadist leaders as well as the actions taken by jihadist operatives in the field clearly demonstrate the strong intent to achieve their aims.

Writings and Deeds

One of the most insightful looks into al Qaeda's strategy came in the form of a letter released by the U.S. government in 2005 from the organization's then-deputy leader (and current emir) Ayman al-Zawahiri to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi was the leader of al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, a jihadist group operating in Iraq that had pledged allegiance to al Qaeda and changed its name to al Qaeda in Iraq. The group later turned into an umbrella organization comprising several jihadist groups and was renamed the Islamic State of Iraq. More recently, due to its efforts in Syria, the group has changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Al-Zawahiri’s letter to al-Zarqawi was remarkable for a number of reasons, one of which was its elucidation of al Qaeda's goals. In the letter, al-Zawahiri wrote: "It has always been my belief that the victory of Islam will never take place until a Muslim state is established in the manner of the Prophet in the heart of the Islamic world." He also noted that the first step in such a plan was to expel the Americans from Iraq. The second stage was to establish an emirate and expand it into a larger caliphate. The third stage was then to attack the secular countries surrounding Iraq (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria and Jordan) and bring them into the caliphate. The fourth step was to use the power of the combined caliphate to attack Israel.

The strategy laid out by al-Zawahiri clearly resonated with the Iraqi jihadists, and their subsequent actions demonstrate that they have embraced it. Even their name, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (in which they emphasize the state), reflects their desire to establish a jihadist polity. In addition, the civil war in Syria has provided the Islamic State of Iraq with the opportunity to push into the neighboring secular country, where it has made a concerted effort to seize, hold and govern territory.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is not the only jihadist group to attempt to establish an emirate. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula made a concerted effort to seize, hold and govern territory in southern Yemen as a result of the Yemeni revolution in 2011, briefly controlling a substantial swath of territory there. Al Shabaab has controlled and governed parts of Somalia for several years now (though recently the group lost significant portions of it). Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb temporarily established an emirate in northern Mali in 2012, and the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram has attempted to establish control over areas in Nigeria’s north. At present, jihadist groups such as Ansar al-Shariah are seeking to establish control over territory amid the chaos in Libya.

This goal of establishing an emirate was also clearly articulated in two letters The Associated Press discovered in Timbuktu, Mali. They were written by Nasir al-Wahayshi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and sent to Abdelmalek Droukdel (also known as Abu Musab Abd al-Wadoud), the leader of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. In the letters, al-Wahayshi detailed some of the lessons and mistakes his organization had made while it was attempting to establish its emirate in Yemen. He clearly sought to share those lessons with al-Wadoud so that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s emirate in Mali would be more successful.

In one of the letters, al-Wahayshi also explained that his group purposefully did not proclaim an emirate in southern Yemen. "As soon as we took control of the areas, we were advised by the General Command here not to declare the establishment of an Islamic principality, or state, for a number of reasons: We wouldn't be able to treat people on the basis of a state since we would not be able to provide for all their needs, mainly because our state is vulnerable. Second: Fear of failure, in the event that the world conspires against us. If this were to happen, people may start to despair and believe that jihad is fruitless."

Evidently al-Wahayshi’s advice went unheeded. Shortly after the jihadists declared an Islamic state called Azawad in northern Mali in April 2012, the French invasion pushed the jihadists out of the territory they had conquered, ending the short-lived state of Azawad. Letters found in Mali also reflected that Droukdel was found to have written to his commanders in Mali calling for them to refrain from fundamentalist and excessively brutal behavior that would jeopardize their objectives. We have also seen recent communications from al-Zawahiri criticizing al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb for the errors in Mali that led to its defeat.

These events show that establishing an emirate as a base from which to launch further expansion is at the heart of the jihadist strategy, remaining an important goal for the jihadist movement.

(Reuters) - Ethiopian police have arrested five more people suspected of plotting suicide bombings during Ethiopia's World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria in October, security officials said on Thursday.

The planned attack failed when two Somali suicide bombers accidentally blew themselves up a few kilometers (miles) from Addis Ababa Stadium where soccer fans were gathering.

The men who plotted the attack were all Somali nationals belonging to the militant Islamist group al Shabaab, Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and Federal Police said in a joint statement, read out on state television."The plan was to hurl bombs at crowds gathered around the stadium and two malls, then enter the stadium and carry out a suicide attack," one of the suspects said on Ethiopian Television.

The two men who died in October had returned to their rented house in the Bole district of the Ethiopian capital because of heavy security, wearing the explosive vests which they had planned to detonate once inside the stadium, the suspect said. They set off the explosives accidentally, government officials said. Three suspects were detained at the scene, where security forces found hand grenades and football shirts.

Thursday's statement did not disclose when or where the five suspects were arrested.Ethiopia has sent troops to Somalia to help other African countries battling to crush al Shabaab's six-year insurgency.

The government in Addis Ababa announced last month that its security forces were on heightened alert after receiving strong evidence that al Shabaab was plotting attacks on its territory. Security around government institutions, hotels, embassies and offices of humanitarian agencies has been beefed up.

Ethiopia says it has thwarted attacks over the past two years which it has blamed on domestic rebel groups as well as the Somali insurgents.

However, it has so far been spared the sorts of attacks carried out in nearby countries - such as the siege at a Kenyan mall in September in which at least 67 people were killed, and an attack on football fans in Uganda in 2010.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The role of foreign fighters in al-Shabaab was brought to public attention once again in October with the release by al-Kata’ib (Shabaab’s media wing) of a video entitled: “It’s an eye for an eye: the Woolwich attacks.” [1] The video featured ten British jihadis who had died fighting alongside al-Shabaab as well as one Somali-Norwegian shown carrying out the massacre at Nairobi’s Westgate Mall. The video appeared to confirm the prominent role of foreigners inside the East African terrorist networks (Telegraph, October 25; BBC, October 18). The reality, however, is more complicated, with evidence indicating that the size of the foreign fighter contingent in East Africa has been in flux, with a number dying in a complicated internal struggle from which Ahmad Abdi Godane (a.k.a. Abu Zubayr) has emerged victorious.

The most prominent casualty amongst this foreign fighter contingent was Omar Hammami, the American who rose within al-Shabaab to become its unofficial poster-boy. Increasingly angered by what he saw as the “authoritarian” approach adopted by Godane, he lashed out through videos and on his Twitter account, claiming he was under threat from the Shabaab leadership. Hammami survived one attempt on his life before succumbing to an assassin’s bullet on September 12. Dying alongside him was Osama al-Britani, a British-Pakistani national believed to be Habib Ghani, a long-standing British fighter in the region who was closely linked to the semi-mythical “white widow” Samantha Lewthwaite, widow of one of the July 7, 2005 bombers of London’s underground system (Daily Mail, September 13).

The deaths of the two men came as the capstone of a series of foreign fighter deaths under mysterious circumstances. One of the first to fall was Bilal al-Berjawi, a British-Lebanese sub-commander within the group who was killed by a drone strike in January 22, 2012. A month later his companion Muhammad Sakr was also killed under similar circumstances. While the direct cause of death was clear, the circumstances that enabled the drones to find these individuals were not.

In an apparent attempt to clarify these circumstances, al-Kata’ib made the unusual step of releasing a video which purported to be a confession by a young Somali who claimed to have helped direct the drone strikes against Bilal al-Berjawi and Muhammad Sakr. The confessional video seemed aimed at emphasizing that the two men had died as the result of offensive operations by the group’s enemies rather than executed by the group itself, suggesting there was some doubt that this was the case. [2]

Evidence of an internal dispute over the targeting of foreign fighters was found in other areas. For example, in the wake of al-Berjawi’s death, there was a reported exodus of foreigners from Somalia. In late April 2013, senior leaders within the organization published a fatwa (legal pronouncement in Islam) specifically ordering that Omar Hammami, Osama al-Britani and Egyptian Khatab al-Masri not be targeted for assassination. [3] In mid-2010 there was still strong evidence that Westerners, from the UK at least, were providing a fairly steady stream of young warriors to join the Somali group, but the indicators over time have been negative. With the rise of jihad operations in Syria and other Arab Spring countries, young Westerners no longer saw the appeal of joining Godane’s increasingly xenophobic jihad.

For its part, al-Shabaab appears more eager to reach out to the foreign community than before. The video “Woolwich Attack: It’s an Eye for an Eye” came in the wake of a YouTube video published by the group that described the journey of a group from Minneapolis who left the United States to join al-Shabaab (the video has since been removed from the Internet). The video eulogized the fallen Westerners in a manner that seemed aimed at recruiting people to come to Somalia and to illustrate how the fight that al-Shabaab was undertaking was part of a larger conflict directed by core al-Qaeda.

Close examination of the videos and the records of the fallen men illustrates that these cases are, for the most part, historical rather than current. The Minneapolis group moved from the United States to Somalia in a series of waves dating back to 2007. The known British fighters mentioned all seem to have travelled to the conflict before 2010. In some cases, court documents identify individuals who fought alongside al-Shabaab and then returned home. In others, networks back in the UK that were providing support and funding for fighters were disrupted, yielding information on when individuals left and how long they required financial support. [4] Some of those provided with support through these networks are now reported dead. One man, identified as “CF” in court documents, first tried to travel to Afghanistan to fight, but was dissuaded by the difficulties encountered in entering that country and instead settled for Somalia. [5]

Having said all of this, there is still some evidence that Godane retains the loyalty and support of some of his foreign cadres. Part of this is evidenced through various media outlets, like the pro-Godane Twitter feed @MYC_Press, which is widely speculated to be run by Samantha Lewthwaite. Whether run by Lewthwaite or not, the account is clearly written by someone whose mother tongue is colloquial British English. Similarly, all of the videos mentioned in this piece are narrated by Abu Omar, an English-speaking Shabaab fighter who has a very clear grasp of the languages and culture of the West, most likely indicating strong foreign links. In terms of the Westgate incident, the growing evidence of a strong link to Somali diaspora elements from Norway suggests the group is still able to call upon its foreign links to conduct audacious operations.

However, the dilemma remains about what role foreign fighters will have in the new organization being crafted by Godane. In April 2013, an open letter to al-Qaeda leader Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri was released by Ibrahim al-Afghani (a.k.a. Abu Bakr al-Zaylai), in which al-Afghani called for the al-Qaeda leader to step into an increasingly fractious battle within al-Shabaab that was threatening to tear the organization apart. At the heart of the division was a split between the local and international fighters, with the two groups divided over al-Shabaab’s direction (African Review [Nairobi], April 9, 2013). Interestingly, it seemed as though the foreign contingent was focused on consolidating power within Somalia, while the faction led by Godane was more interested in expanding al-Shabaab’s international reach, possibly to live up to its role as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

It is possibly within this split that we see the seeds of the Westgate incident as well as an explanation of the future role Godane sees for the foreign fighters in his group. While the Westgate plot clearly used assets within Kenya and is therefore in part a product of domestic radicalization issues inside Kenya, it was nevertheless directed and claimed by Godane’s al-Shabaab network. The intent was to mount a large-scale incident to attract international attention alongside other major international jihadist attacks, such as this year’s In Aménas attack, the 2008 Mumbai attack and other large-scale terrorist operations in which mass casualties have been ascribed to al-Qaeda or its affiliates.

At the same time, the group’s latest video release pointed to an eagerness to place the Somali cause within a larger ideological arc (highlighting the causes of the Uyghur and Rohignya as examples where the West was proving it did not care about Muslims) and also called upon individuals to conduct terrorist plots in the West. Al-Shabaab has previously refrained from calling openly for such terrorist operations. Delivered clearly and coherently in English, the rhetorical shift is something clearly aimed at a Western audience.

The danger for Western security officials is that the group has finally made the long-awaited strategic decision to focus efforts outside of Somalia. At the same time, the decision to make this shift seems to come at a moment when the group is having less success in attracting Western fighters to its ranks, thus depriving them of the most effective tool to launch an attack in the heart of the West. With Syria currently dominating jihadists’ attention, this dynamic is unlikely to change substantially in the near future. In the longer-term, Godane’s clear interest in living up to his group’s al-Qaeda affiliation would suggest more incidents aimed at Western targets in Africa at least are likely.

Raffaello Pantucci is a Senior Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and the author of the forthcoming We Love Death as You Love Life: Britain’s Suburban Mujahedeen (Hurst/Columbia University Press).

Monday, December 16, 2013

Among the most feared of al-Qaeda's affiliates, al-Shabaab was behind the Westgate shopping mall attack in Kenya. Jamal Osman attended one of its training camps in the Somali bush.

They chant: "We are al-Shabaab! We are al-Qaeda! We are terrorists!" In a secret location, deep in the Somali bush, I met al-Shabaab, one of the most feared al-Qaeda-affiliated organisations in the world. Around 300 newly trained fighters, who have completed a six-month course, parade in the training camp.

Al-Shabaab is the jihadist group behind the attack at the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya two months ago that left 67 people dead. The terrifying images from that attack showed al-Shabaab fighters casually walking through the mall as they shot civilians. But for al-Shabaab, the Westgate operation was a victory and is now being used to inspire new soldiers.

The latest recruits had the same military training as the Westgate attackers. At their graduation ceremony, they were rewarded with a visit from al-Shabaab's spokesman, Sheikh Ali Dhere.more

2010-Present: Senior Agriculture and Rural Development Officer at Islamic Development Bank (IDB) – An International Multilateral Development Bank based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Some of the achievements include the following:

· Developed East African Regional Dry land Program for IGAD member countries. This is a multi-donor funded initiative worth of US$ 280 million with the objective of improving food security, reducing vulnerability and building resilience of the resource-poor populations in the dry land regions in Eastern Africa. Currently supporting the formation of the Global Dry land Alliance, an initiative spearheaded by the Crown Prince of the State of Qatar

· Developed National livestock and fisheries development programs for Cameroon and Mozambique. The total financing of these programs is about US$ 100 million.

· Led the initiation of Islamic Development Bank Group Trust Fund Program for Somalia, in collaboration with Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Government of Turkey and Arab Financial Institutions. The objective of the Trust Fund is to mobilize and raise funds for the social and economic reconstruction of Somalia.

· Managed and implemented a project portfolio covering more than 20 countries in Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The total financing of the portfolio is US$ 500 million.

· Team leader for the development of Islamic Development Bank Group’s Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy with emphasis on livestock, pastoralism and fisheries.

2007-2009: Senior Livestock and Pastoralism Advisor to COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), based in Lusaka with offices in Nairobi and Addis Ababa. Some of the achievements include the following:

· Co-founded the Alliance of Commodity Trade for the Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA). This involved, among others, trade negotiations and signing of agreements between countries in the region.

· As lead development expert, assisted COMESA member countries in implementing the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP)/NEPAD, under the auspices of the African Union, for the Development of Africa (NEPAD).

· Designed and implemented COMESA flagship development initiatives including COMESA Food Security and Safety Nets Program.

2003-2006: Program Manager at African Union (AU)-IBAR – Red Sea Livestock Trade Commission, based in Nairobi with offices in Djibouti and DubaiSome of the achievements include the following:

Congratulations to,PM, Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed
Wewish you all the best and great success. We also hope that you will manage to bring peace and stability in Somalia and unite all good Somali people all around the world....

MoS Moments of Silence

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

Designation of Al-Shabaab

When our world changed forever

Al-Shabaab

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

SOMALI REPUBLICANS

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Somalia

About Us

The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

Al-Qaida in Somalia. ...

We Are Winning the War on Terrorism in Horn of Africa

The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.